Tuning pins- Tightening-

The tuning pins appear
to be mounted in the metal harp. They are not. Rather; they go through the harp
holes, and they are mounted in a wood block behind the metal harp or plate. Most
manufacturers go to great lengths to give you a wood pin block which will last
for many years. The problem is that you cannot see the pin block, and if they
want to slip you a piece of cheap pine, then declare bankruptcy and run, you get
stuck with the results. It has happened more often than we would like to admit.

There is a point at which a tuning pin is so loose that major repair
is needed. If only one or two of the pins are loose, and the piano is not very
old, then the problem is either a small flaw in the pin block, or the factory
assembler made a blunder which is just now showing up.

If your piano
is still within warrantee, DO NOT try to repair it. Contact the piano manufacturer
at once, and demand attention.

So, you called the tuner, and he could
not get some of the tuning pins to hold. He gave you a price to "dope" them or
shim them, and you couldn't afford it. I hope we can help you do it yourself.

Tools:

If you are going to finish the job, you will need all or part
of the the following:

Tool
Kit for gifted do-it-yourselfers- Find this in my Catalogue
at the end of the book. After you tighten the pins, you will have to re-tune the
wires that slipped.

Sand
paper- One sheet about 200 grit. Get the water immersible kind, and varnish
the back long before you intend to do this job.

Metal
round shims- You can order these from my Catalogue, or
order them from your tuner. They are made just for this job.

Pin
Treatment- From my Catalogue. You want
the 7 day drying time. It works the best. I don't sell any other kind.

3 or 4- 1/16th inch drill bits-
These are used in the "doping" treatment.

An
injection syringe- For applying the pin treatment. You can find this at
a farm supply store in the cattle and horse treatment section. Otherwise, ask
any friends who use them for insulin self-injection.

Denatured
alcohol- For diluting the pin treatment IF you do not get the pre-mixed
variety.

Drive the pins in:

This is the simplest way to tighten the pins, IF
it works, and IF it has not yet been done by a former tuner. You will need the
Tuning Lever, the rubber mutes, and the Pin Setting Tool from the tool kit you
can order in my Catalogue at the end of the book. You
also need a medium weight hammer.

There is no way you can improvise
this job with other tools. I would tell you if you could, so order the tool kit
if you intend to try this.

This technique will not work on most spinets
and some consoles. The reason is that this abbreviated pianos are abbreviated
in the pin hole depth. The factory gives you no extra hole to drive the pin into.
Still, you can sometimes bottom the pin by tapping it in and get a little tightening.
It won't hurt to try.

Also, some grands have such thin pin blocks
that the pins will hang out below the pin block after they are driven down. Take
the key cover out of a grand before you do this to check. With a flashlight, look
at the under side of the pin block to see if the pins are already at the bottom
of the holes. Feel around, or poke a goodie up a pin hole from underneath
to see if they gave you a little extra hole length. Isn't this mysterious? If
the pins are not now flush with the bottom of the holes, you can proceed to drive
them down from above to tighten them. Check Chapter
Five on how to open the Grand keyboard area.

CAUTION:William Postell sent mail and reminded me of this-- On ALL grands, when tapping
pins deeper into the pin block, you must support the pin block from underneath.
If you don't you could crack or damage the pin block further. This is because
the grand pin block is hanging from the underside of the harp at that point, so
your tapping is giving the pin block a lot of shock. A small jack for this task
can be bought in my Catalogue, but for the amateur,
try to find some improvised tool. Remove the action as in Chapter
Five, and find some tool which you can use to add pressure to the underside
of the pin block. Perhaps blocks of wood and wedges could be used, but check frequently
to make sure they stay good and tight. Wedge your jack or wood wedges between
the keybed and the underside of the pin block. Thanks to William Postell for catching
this.

The following technique will work well on all old full sized uprights
and grands.

Once you have all tools in hand, identify the note with
the major twang. It will be very harsh and brutal. Mute out wires, striking the
key, until you have determined which wire has slipped. It will be way below the
other wire or wires in the note. If you suspect a single wire bass note,
play down the scale. If a pin has slipped, it will be way below the notes
on either side of it.

Look at the tuning pin anchored to that
wire. Is it up at the same level as the other pins in the area? If it looks like
it has already been tapped down, you must go on to the next tightening method.

In the illustration, A, shows you that you
have up to three eights of an inch to drive the pin in. It doesn't seem like much,
but it will definitely tighten the pin, possibly enough to hold. Tuning pins are
tipped back from the tension direction at a slight angle. You can see in, B, that
the hole runs at a slight angle. When you tap the pin down into the hole the pin
will be jammed into the remaining hole and slightly tighten in the whole length
of the hole.

It is important to notice the recess the pin sits in.
If you tap the pin down too far, you will bind the wire on the shoulder at C,
and you could break the wire. Stop just short of the shoulder.

Now,
you want to know how to tap the wire down, right? Get your pin setting tool in
your non-dominant hand. Seat it all the way down on the tuning pin. Put some tension
on it in the direction of tightening the pin. Why? Answer: So that when you hit
the pin, the pin don't let all the tension off the pin. This is bad, and later
you can break a wire.

Now, tap the pin with your hammer. Use the flat
side if it is a ball peen. Keep tapping until the wire stops just short of resting
on the edge of the hole at C. Keep just enough tension on the pin setting tool
so that the pin does not tighten of loosen as you tap it down.

Lastly,
bring the wire up to tension with the tuning lever. Use the mute, and match the
wire you are raising to the one next to it. Be careful not to go too far, or you
could break the wire. If this works, and it almost always does, you can expect
several years of reprieve before you have to go on to the next step.

I have to warn you that pounding tuning pins down tends to be somewhat depressing,
as are most of my puns.

Pin Treatment method of tightening tuning pins:

If
you have an old upright named Wegman, skip this section. In fact, you cannot tighten
Wegman pins any way. In fact again, Wegman made a piano that was pin loosening
proof. I cannot understand why the trade did not follow their lead. If
you have a Wegman, DO NOT sell it. It is worth keeping just for the tuning
pin arrangement.

Now, we come to my secret. All tuners "dope"
tuning pins. This means that they slop pin treatment liquid around the pins with
an ear syringe or some other klunky instrument. The best tuners in the trade use
this kindergarten method. I have developed a method to "dope" pins that
is mine. It is like the proverbial fishing hole. This is the first time I have
told the world about my method. Hubris in abundance, right? Just for you
ordinary flatlanders-- It gives me real joy to slip you folks my secret-- FREE!

Tools
you need:

You will need to order pin treatment "dope" from my Catalogue.
Also, purchase a can of of denatured alcohol at the hardware store. While you
are there, buy four 64th inch high quality drill bits. Go around to the feed store
and pick up a couple of small injection syringes from the horse doctoring department.
If this is not possible, mooch them off of your pharmacist or someone giving himself
injections. You will also need a drill motor as well- hopefully one of the
battery operated ones which runs slow and can be controlled.

By now,
if you have read other sections in the book, you may be tempted to think that
I put this book on the Web just to get you to order from my Catalogue, right?
That is true- partly. I do intend to do a bit of a mail order
business, and I hope that some day the profits will make up for the fact that
I did not sell this book to a print publisher-- I just GAVE it to you.

However; there is one other side to the Catalogue. NO piano supply company
will sell you parts. Also, some tuners are very insulted if you ask them
to order the parts for you. They feel entitled to do all the repairs for
you, even if the skill level for a given repair is "Age 7." If I didn't
make the Catalogue available to you, it would be cruel. You could not, in
many cases, get the materials to do the repair. If you can get the parts
or tools from your tuner, well there is a real gentleman. Go for it.

Step
One:

Lay the upright piano down on its back. You must have at least
three men to do this, so that, if one man slips, the other two can keep control.
Be sure to put two eight foot 2 X 4s under it so that you can get your fingers
under it to lift it back up later.

If you have a grand, rejoice. It
is ready to dope. You might want to take the fall board (key cover) off and slip
some cardboard in under the pin block. It is possible for a pin to be so loose
that the treatment solution will drip on down below and get into the key levers.
Not good.

Step Two:

Chuck a 64th inch drill bit in the drill motor. I want you
to drill a hole, but you must drill this hole just right. The
illustration is very important, and larger than usual. The object is to drill
a hole through the wooden donut around the pin. Also, you MUST drill the hole
on the opposite side of the pin from the wire departure. The hole must go
down at an angle so that you stop about three eights of an inch deep, and just
at the point where the pin enters the pin block.

In The
illustration , you can see the space created by years of wear and tension.
It is opposite the direction of the wire and tension. The hole you are drilling
will allow you to apply the pin treatment solution into the pin hole instead of
just to the wooden donut. This is the secret of my method.

A few pianos
do not have the wooden donut. In that case, skip the hole drilling and go straight
to Step Three. Make sure you apply the liquid directly into the space we just
discussed, and use the injection syringe.

Why all the fuss? When most
tuners "dope" the pins, they get pin treatment all over the metal harp, and very
little down the hole. The method I use is frightening, but it works far better.
This method will get the treatment liquid down the pin hole to swell the wood
of the pin block around the pin-- that's what you want.

The theory
with pin treatment is to swell the wood around the tuning pin so that it grips
the pin. If the right liquid is used, it will fill the wood, and when the carrier
dries out, the wood will stay tightened to the steel pin. It works quite well
if my method is used.

Step Three:

You have drilled a hole through every
wooden donut for every wire that is loose. Do them all at once. If a lot of wires
are loose, I suggest you do the whole piano. The reason for four 64th inch drill
bits is because it is very easy to break those tiny drill bits. If one breaks
off in a hole, just drill another hole near it with a new bit. Bit by bit, we'll
get your piano playing again, eh? The holes may be hard to explain to your tuner,
but we are trying to get real results, right? Furthermore; your tuner can have
my method at no charge if he is nice about it.

Now, mix the treatment.
Mix the liquid treatment half and half with denatured alcohol, and stir it well.
I now supply another treatment which does not need to be mixed with alcohol. Do
not add alcohol if the bottle does not call for it.

Now fill your injection
syringe with the mixture. Poke the needle down one of the holes you drilled, and
fill it with the liquid. Let it puddle a bit around the top of the wooden donut
around the pin, but try not to run it onto the harp. It will make the harp look
ugly and collect dust.

You will have to fill the syringe over and
over, but patience is a virtue. One of those oversized horse syringes would be
fine to use IF you can control it. That way you could do more pins per filling.
Again, please file the tip of the syringe with a finger nail file so that it is
blunt. If you accidentally stuck yourself, it could be a real hazard. Also, DO
NOT leave the syringe laying around for kids to "play doctor." If
the piano is in the vacinity of a dope head, DO NOT leave the syringe where the
fool can get ahold of it. If he used it, he could really have a problem
with the pin treatment left in the syringe.

Do each hole this way,
then let them all sit for twenty minutes. Treat all of the pins at least twice.
I like to do this three times to make sure the liquid has gotten well into the
wood around the tuning pin. Your treatment will go a long ways because you
are getting it only in the pin holes. The standard method leaves a horrid
stain around the pin area and collects dirt later. Also, the treatment does
not go as far with that method.

Step Four:

Stand the piano up immediately, and let
it sit for seven days. After that, you should go to the section called Tuning--
Do It Yourself a few pages back. Follow the instructions for getting a twang
out of one wire.

Step Five:

You have plenty of pin treatment left
over, right? Well, how about treating your uncle Harry's piano? And, how about
the old klunker in the Sunday School room at church, or at the VFW? Make some
points with your new found skill.

When you store the pin treatment,
be sure the lid is tight, and wrap it with tape. It can be used for another treatment
later. Also, write the brand name in pencil on the harp near the pins so that
someone in the future can tell what you used.

Shim method of tightening tuning pins:

This method
of tightening a tuning pin is more permanent, but it is a lot of work. There is
also a risk of breaking a wire. It is important to follow instructions exactly.

Sand paper shims:

This is the method used by Baldwin in the factory
when they accidentally drill a hole too big. It is very effective, but it requires
some mechanical cleverness.

The only parts you will need is a sheet
of "wet" 220 grit sandpaper. The night before you plan to make the repair, paint
the back of the sandpaper sheet with clear lacquer or varnish.

Cut
a section out of the sandpaper sheet about two inches by four inches. Next, cut
several wedges out of the piece you cut out of the sheet. Cut them as in the
illustration. Make them about three eighths of an inch at the top tapering
to one quarter inch at the bottom.

Removing the loose pin:

For this step of the
work you will need your tuning lever from the Catalogue
in the back of the book.

First, you must remember that each wire makes
a trip down and back up. It is connected to two tuning pins side by side. You
must start with the tuning pin that is loose, and then follow the wire down to
the bottom. It goes around an anchor pin, and comes back up to the pin next to
the loose one. This may even be in the note next to the one with the loose pin.
You can find an illustration of this principle in the section in this chapter
called, Broken wire emergency with a Diagram
of the wire pattern.

Now, with your tuning lever, you are going to
loosen both of the tuning pins which are connected to the wire involved. The loose
pin comes all the way out, while the other pin simply is loosened to let off the
tension evenly. If you let off all of the tension on the loose pin only, the wire
will creep around the anchor pin at the bottom of the harp, and when you tighten
it, it will break.

Start loosening the two tuning pins in stages--
a little on each pin-- until you see the wire winding on the tuning pins beginning
to open or loosen. DO NOT over loosen the tuning pins. This is old brittle wire
and you could break the end of the wire where it goes into the hole in the tuning
pin.

Once you have the winding opened up, push a small flat bit screw
driver under the wire right where it bends and goes into the hole in the tuning
pin. (Remember, DO NOT remove the wire from the pin which is not loose.) Try to
pull the wire out of the hole. If it won't come, loosen the pin a little more,
and try again. Once the end of the wire will come out of the hole, work the coil
of wire carefully off of the top of the pin. DO NOT bend the wire. It is old and
will break later if you kink it.

After you get the wire off of the
pin, carefully pull it to the side so that you can remove the pin. Begin unscrewing
the pin with your tuning lever. It will take a while because the threads on the
tuning pin are very fine.

If you break a wire during this process,
finish shimming the hole, then go to the section in this chapter of replacing
a broken wire, and put a new wire on the pins. You can order the wire from
me or from your helpful tuner. See my Catalogue
for instructions on how to order wire.

Now, look here, you are getting
to nervous. This is not going to be the last time in your life you will have the
opportunity to mess something up. It will work out in the end. It is time for
a cup of tea and a little Bach to calm your nerves, right?

Shim the hole:

Get one of the sand paper wedges
you cut. Kind of cup it a bit lengthways so that it fits the curve of the hole
with the outside of the cupping toward the wood. Put the small end of the taper
in the hole, and bottom the shim in the hole. BE SURE TO PUT THE SHIM SO THAT
THE SAND OF THE SAND PAPER IS TOWARD THE WOOD PIN BLOCK! Leave about a quarter
inch sticking out of the top of the hole, but be sure the shim doesn't turn up
in the bottom of the hole.

Insert the tuning pin into the hole gently
and wiggle it in as far as you can with your fingers, trying not to push the sandpaper
into the hole.. As you begin turning in the tuning pin, if it cuts off the part
hanging out of the hole, pull the pin out, and start over. Cut another wedge out
of the paper you prepared. If you cut off the sand paper at the top as the pin
starts down, and you proceed to screw in the pin, the pin will just push the wedge
down into the bottom of the hole. Keep trying to screw the pin in without cutting
off the top of the sand paper until you succeed.

Metal shims:

You have no choice in using the metal
shim-- you must order a the shims in my Catalogue in
the back of the book. Your tuner may be willing to sell you several. Go through
all of the above procedures for the sand paper shim, but return to this spot when
the hole is empty. Do not skip the cup of tea. Next, slip the metal sleeve into
the hole. You may have to work at it a bit. Try to get it as deep as possible
without bending it. See the illustration of a
metal shim.

Put the pin into the sleeve, and start screwing it in
with your tuning lever. It may be hard to get in since the sleeve may be a bit
bigger than needed. In that case, you will need a smaller tuning pin. Or, you
can take the shim to your shop and cut off some of the metal lengthways with tin
snips. DO NOT even think about drilling out the hole, OK? Send me the old pin,
and I will send you a larger pin so that you can skip the metal shim and simply
put a larger pin into the hole. Once you get it, install it without the metal
shim. Follow the rest of these instructions for re-installing the pin.

If you intend to order a replacement larger pin, why not print out this page,
mark this spot, and lay it on the piano. This wasy, you can pick up where
you left off without missing something.

Whether you use sandpaper, a
shim, or a new pin, don't turn the pin in all the way. Leave it out about a quarter
inch higher than the pins around it.

Position the tuning pin in the
same way it was when you pulled the wire winding off of the tuning pin. Carefully
replace the wire winding. With the screw driver again, work the end of the wire
into the hole.

Start tightening the tuning pin again. The end of the
winding will hang out of the hole. DO NOT keep going without helping the winding
back into the hole all the way. Use a second tool to keep pushing it in until
it stays. You may want to ask for help from a friend here to make sure the wire
stays in the hole as you turn the pin in. Once the winding is tightening, tighten
both pins of the wire again, alternating from one to the other to raise the tension
evenly. Pluck the wire from both pins you are tightening, and pluck the ones next
to it as you go to be sure you don't over tighten it. You will be able to hear
if one is much higher tone than the other. Try to keep them the same as you tighten.

Tune the wires in each note beatless as described in "Tuning--
Touching up Twangs" elsewhere in this chapter. You may also follow directions
in Appendix One on tuning.

New larger sized tuning pins:

First, send me a pin
you want to replace. I will send you the next larger size pin. Follow the instructions
earlier for putting in a sand paper shim. When you get to the point of putting
in the shim, come here. If the Mini Catalogue

Simply insert
the new pin, and follow the pin re-installing instructions above for metal shims,
but DO NOT put the metal shim in the hole.

Last Step:

Go back to the section in this chapter
called, Tuning- For Do It Yourselfers. Follow the instructions
there for getting rid of twangs. The only problem will be that your wires on the
loose pin, and the other pin involved, will be way below the others in each note.
Be very careful not to raise a wire above the others in the note where it is.
Pluck the two wires all the way along to hear when you are close, then follow
instruction in the above link.

You have done one of those tasks which
has heretofore belonged exclusively to the piano technician. I hope you appreciate
the bucks you have saved. Also, it is very satisfying to know you have helped
yourself. Now, you may have other pins which are a bit loose. Should you order
parts now for that possibility? Just a thought.